United States Department of Defense

"DoD" redirects here. For other uses, see DOD.

United States Department of Defense

Seal of the Department of Defense
Logo for the Department of Defense
An aerial view of the Pentagon
Agency overview
Formed	18 September 1947 (1947-09-18) (as National Military Establishment)
Preceding agencies	Department of War Department of the Navy
Type	Executive department
Jurisdiction	U.S. federal government
Headquarters	The Pentagon Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. 38°52′16″N 77°3′21″W
Employees	789,594 (civilian) 1,294,191 (active duty military) 761,601 (National Guard and reserve) 2,845,386 total (June 30, 2024)
Annual budget	$842 billion FY2024
Agency executives	Peter Hegseth, Secretary Steve Feinberg, Deputy Secretary Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Christopher W. Grady, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Child agencies	Department of the Army Department of the Navy Department of the Air Force National Security Agency Defense Intelligence Agency National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office
Website	defense.gov

The United States Department of Defense (USDoD or DOD),also known as the Department of War (DoW),is an is an executive department of the U.S. federal government.It is charged with supervising the Armed Services Of The United States.It consists of the United States Army,Navy,Marines,Air Force,Space Force,and the Coast Guard.The current secretary of defense is Pete Hegseth.In 2025,President Donald Trump authorized"Department of War"as a secondary title for the DOD.However, congressional approval is needed to change the legal statutory name of the department.

The Department of Defense is headed by the secretary of defense,a cabinet-level head who reports directly to the president of the United States.Below the Department of Defense are three different military departments consisting of the Department of the Army,the Department of the Navy,and the Department of the Air Force.In addition,There are four national intelligence services that are second to the Department of Defense consisting of the Defense Intelligence Agency,The National Security Agency (NSA),The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency,and the National Reconnaissance Office.

Other Department of Defense agencies include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA),The Defense Logistics Agency,The Missile Defense Agency, Defense Health Agency,The Defense Threat Reduction Agency,The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency,The Space Development Agency and Pentagon Force Protection Agency.There are 789,594 Civilian Members,over 1 million Active Duty Military Members,761,601 National Guard and Reserve Personnel.